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Jaguars Rumors: Byron Leftwich Has 'Groundswell of Support' to Replace Urban Meyer
December 19, 2021
With the Jacksonville Jaguars looking for a permanent head coach after firing Urban Meyer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is reportedly getting a lot of support for the job.
Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (h/t Billy Marshall of The Roar podcast), Leftwich has a "big groundswell of support" to take over for the Jaguars after this season.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced Thursday that Meyer had been relieved of his duties amid a tumultuous 2-11 start. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Meyer's tenure was more notable for off-field stories than for anything that happened in games. He was filmed at an Ohio bar with a woman dancing on him who wasn't his wife after he didn't didn't fly home with the team after a Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
One day before Meyer's firing, former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo accused the coach of kicking him during warm-ups before a game.
It would stand to reason that Jaguars ownership and management will be looking for a stabilizing force as their next head coach, as well as someone who can help bring out the best in quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Leftwich is in his fifth season as an NFL assistant coach. The 41-year-old spent two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals as quarterbacks coach from 2017-18. He also took over as interim offensive coordinator midway through the 2018 season after Mike McCoy was fired.
Bruce Arians, who hired Leftwich in Arizona in 2017, brought him to the Bucs in 2019 as their offensive coordinator.
The Buccaneers haven't ranked lower than third in points per game under Leftwich. They currently lead the NFL in scoring average with 31.5 points per contest.